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Hello teamliquid
I am planning a trip to Malaysia in July and since there seem to be quite a few Malaysians here, I'd figure I post a little blog.
As for now, I'm still waiting for a rather large sum of money to be transferred to my bank account. When that is done, I can start planning for real. I plan to fly either with etihad from Amsterdam or with Egyptair from Paris.
I have a couple of ideas for lodging, going from homestay to hostels. I also asked a few people if they knew someone who'd let me stay for free (probably a long shot but nothing ventured, nothing gained). I haven't quite had time yet to figure out what I'm going to visit, but all in due time.
Now, I was wondering if some people here are willing to meet up? It's always fun to get to know new people.
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Glad you decided to visit and i hope you have fun here!
Where are you planning to land ?
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On May 24 2013 15:55 yuuG wrote:Glad you decided to visit and i hope you have fun here! Where are you planning to land ? KL international airport. Every flight I checked out seems to land there.
Still haven't figured out what I'm going to visit so feel free to give recommendations. KLCC/Petronas Towers seems like a no-brainer but I've heard that you have to wait in line for quite a long time. Some malaysian friends also recommended going to Sabah.
I've never been out of Europe, so it's going to be quite the trip. I would also like to pick up some Malay while I'm there. I'm a sucker for foreign languages.
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make sure you eat the local food
that said i hate white coffee
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On May 24 2013 18:56 rabidch wrote: make sure you eat the local food
that said i hate white coffee That's certainly the plan! White coffee you say? I've never even heard of that.
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On May 25 2013 01:50 maartendq wrote:Show nested quote +On May 24 2013 18:56 rabidch wrote: make sure you eat the local food
that said i hate white coffee That's certainly the plan! White coffee you say? I've never even heard of that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coffee#Malaysia
also if you have issues with spicy or hawker food you should probably build up your stomach a bit.
do not leave without trying durian
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On May 25 2013 01:59 rabidch wrote:Show nested quote +On May 25 2013 01:50 maartendq wrote:On May 24 2013 18:56 rabidch wrote: make sure you eat the local food
that said i hate white coffee That's certainly the plan! White coffee you say? I've never even heard of that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coffee#Malaysiaalso if you have issues with spicy or hawker food you should probably build up your stomach a bit. do not leave without trying durian I love spicy food so that won't be a problem. Is Singapore worth a visit? Since I'm going to be there a month, might as well go there if it's worth it.
Why Malaysia? I've gotten to know some Malaysian people the past year and they've made me curious about the country. I've always been interested in Asia, figured Malaysia might be a good place to start. Besides, my Malaysian friends told me that most people speak English there, which makes getting around a lot easier for me. The fact that it's a multicultural Asian muslim country kind of piqued my interest as well.
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If u are planning to spend most of ur time in KL area, Twin tower, kl tower and Putrajaya (precinct 1) are the most iconic of malaysia city sights.
Jungles/beach/natural sites you should go Pahang/Sabah/Sarawak. Tunku abdul rahman park is superb for beach activities.
North of KL about 20 mins is batu caves, the site of hinduism in malaysia. Theres also a very old buddhist Kuan Yin temple in KL itself. KL main mosque and the more famous blue mosque in shah alam (though theres nothing else there) are also within KL area. The muzium negara is a nice Malay style building though real authentic Malay architecture is found only further away. Petaling street is a good place for colonial architecture of kl. If you are going to sabah/sarawak, then there are iban/kadazan/bidayuh cultural stuff u can find there. If you want to find Islamic cultural stuff, u can hop over to the state of Kelantan where you can see sex segregation in everyday life (my frens found it to be interesting)
As for food, jes try everything but yeah, durians are a must. If ur first time durian eater, try D-24 or musang as these seems to be preferred by my overseas frens . These are the creamier and sweeter ones like custards. Cempedak is another unique local fruit u must try.
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Hi, Malaysian here. If you're a shopping person, some of the best shopping centres are Times Square, The Curve , Pavillion, Publika , Sungai Wang, Bangsar Village ,Bangsar Shopping Centre ( great foodie place ) , MidValley , OneUtama and KLCC ( Right under Petronas Twin Towers ). Any decent taxi driver would know how to get to all these places. For a "marketplace" experience, you can take the local train to Petaling Street.
As for food, you should definitely try durian, white coffee, Nasi Lemak , Bakuteh ( herbal pork in broth ), "kuih", Laksa ( sour & spicy noodle ), satay and Malaysian-style grilled fish served with lime and shrimp paste .Try places that were recommended word of mouth style or is filled with people.
Enjoy and stay safe
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Thanks for all the replies and tips! Keep 'em coming? Any of the Malaysians here willing to meet up, per chance?
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http://www.timeoutkl.com/101-things-to-do-in-kl/the-full-list#.UX-aCSS4x1Y.facebook
There you go
KL is the capital of Malaysia and if you're looking for something more slow paced, less busy. It's not really the right place. But if you're into shopping and all that KL is the right place to go. BTW, the link I posted above should be enough to give you a picture of what to do.
Please just eat, eat, eat and eat while you're in Malaysia.
Most people in Malaysia can speak English.
Oh and be careful when you're walking among big crowds, you don't wanna get pick pocketed. And just be careful at night, avoid dark alleys or secluded places (just in case). Malaysia is not the safest place but it's not THAT dangerous either. Just giving you a heads up.
And if you're taking a taxi you might wanna ask for the price first if you're going to somewhere far.
Getting around in KL city is not hard. You can take the monorail or the bus (RapidKL) to get around within the city. But if you're planning to go further away from the city to the suburbs you might wanna take the train (it's called KTM Malaysia). There is a central hub where all the public transport are called the KL Sentral (Central). From there on you can take taxis, trains, LRTs, monorails and expresses to-and-fro KLIA.
Malaysia is a multi-racial country. So there are many different cultures you might wanna take note. I'll leave that to yourself, you can Google it. I'm sure there's plenty of information on travelling in Malaysia.
I'm from East Malaysia (Malaysia is divided into West and East, separated by sea) so the infos about KL that I can give are all that. Have fun!
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On May 27 2013 01:43 nDLSoulFly wrote:http://www.timeoutkl.com/101-things-to-do-in-kl/the-full-list#.UX-aCSS4x1Y.facebookThere you go KL is the capital of Malaysia and if you're looking for something more slow paced, less busy. It's not really the right place. But if you're into shopping and all that KL is the right place to go. BTW, the link I posted above should be enough to give you a picture of what to do. Please just eat, eat, eat and eat while you're in Malaysia. Most people in Malaysia can speak English. Oh and be careful when you're walking among big crowds, you don't wanna get pick pocketed. And just be careful at night, avoid dark alleys or secluded places (just in case). Malaysia is not the safest place but it's not THAT dangerous either. Just giving you a heads up. And if you're taking a taxi you might wanna ask for the price first if you're going to somewhere far. Getting around in KL city is not hard. You can take the monorail or the bus (RapidKL) to get around within the city. But if you're planning to go further away from the city to the suburbs you might wanna take the train (it's called KTM Malaysia). There is a central hub where all the public transport are called the KL Sentral (Central). From there on you can take taxis, trains, LRTs, monorails and expresses to-and-fro KLIA. Malaysia is a multi-racial country. So there are many different cultures you might wanna take note. I'll leave that to yourself, you can Google it. I'm sure there's plenty of information on travelling in Malaysia. I'm from East Malaysia (Malaysia is divided into West and East, separated by sea) so the infos about KL that I can give are all that. Have fun! Your nickname indicates a good taste in music, if it's inspired by te band! Thanks for the tips on getting around. Friends advised renting a car, but I don't know how expensive it is and whether I want to drive around in a huge city like KL. I made the mistake of driving through the centre of Paris once, don't want to make that mistake again.
I started with an online beginner's course in Malay. Pretty fun so far!
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On May 27 2013 04:58 maartendq wrote:Show nested quote +On May 27 2013 01:43 nDLSoulFly wrote:http://www.timeoutkl.com/101-things-to-do-in-kl/the-full-list#.UX-aCSS4x1Y.facebookThere you go KL is the capital of Malaysia and if you're looking for something more slow paced, less busy. It's not really the right place. But if you're into shopping and all that KL is the right place to go. BTW, the link I posted above should be enough to give you a picture of what to do. Please just eat, eat, eat and eat while you're in Malaysia. Most people in Malaysia can speak English. Oh and be careful when you're walking among big crowds, you don't wanna get pick pocketed. And just be careful at night, avoid dark alleys or secluded places (just in case). Malaysia is not the safest place but it's not THAT dangerous either. Just giving you a heads up. And if you're taking a taxi you might wanna ask for the price first if you're going to somewhere far. Getting around in KL city is not hard. You can take the monorail or the bus (RapidKL) to get around within the city. But if you're planning to go further away from the city to the suburbs you might wanna take the train (it's called KTM Malaysia). There is a central hub where all the public transport are called the KL Sentral (Central). From there on you can take taxis, trains, LRTs, monorails and expresses to-and-fro KLIA. Malaysia is a multi-racial country. So there are many different cultures you might wanna take note. I'll leave that to yourself, you can Google it. I'm sure there's plenty of information on travelling in Malaysia. I'm from East Malaysia (Malaysia is divided into West and East, separated by sea) so the infos about KL that I can give are all that. Have fun! Your nickname indicates a good taste in music, if it's inspired by te band! Thanks for the tips on getting around. Friends advised renting a car, but I don't know how expensive it is and whether I want to drive around in a huge city like KL. I made the mistake of driving through the centre of Paris once, don't want to make that mistake again. I started with an online beginner's course in Malay. Pretty fun so far!
Unfortunately, my nickname is only a coincidence.
And NO you do not want to drive around the city. KL's traffic jam is already terrible, not to mention the crazy drivers. Just take my advice and take the public transport. Unless you're taking the car around West Malaysia (to other states like Melaka, Perak (you might wanna visit their city Ipoh), and you definitely MUST visit Penang (Georgetown). But of course you can take a bus to those cities but if you're looking for an adventure and sightseeing, rent a car to those cities/states but don't drive around KL.
I highly recommend you visit Melaka (Malaysia's historic state, if you're into stuffs like that, lots of food there too) first, because it's south of KL, then Ipoh (North of KL, slightly smaller city) and then to Penang (Pearl of the Orient!. Penang food will ABSOLUTELY blow your mind, just google Penang hawker food), which is further up north of Ipoh. Penang's the furthest so if you're taking a bus there it will take a couple of hours (I've taken a plane to Penang but never on road). But Ipoh and Melaka is much nearer to KL so if you're thinking of driving, that 2 places might be a better choice.
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Malaysians do like their food it seems!
I'll stick to public transportation. I don't mind a little adventure, plus I don't really like driving.
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